Beaker and dish; Egypt, Tinite period, 3150-2686... Lot 11

Beaker and dish; Egypt, Tinite period, 3150-2686 BC. Alabaster. The vase has damage to the mouth. It has restorations on fracture lines. Measurements: 4 x 12 cm; 8 x 7.5 cm. Lot comprising a vase and a dish, both made from carved alabaster. The art of carving stone vessels reached its peak as far back as the Early Dynastic period and the Old Kingdom. Stone vessels were mainly used to contain foodstuffs, ointments and cosmetic oils. Thanks to the thickness and impermeability of their walls, they allowed for good preservation of the products. They had many uses in everyday life, but also played a prominent role in religious activities; offerings in temples, daily anointing of statues and cult objects, and in the funerary world, for the preparation of mummies, as well as in the belief in the rejuvenating and regenerating effect of these substances. It is therefore not surprising that a large number of stone vessels were regularly deposited in tombs and burial complexes.